Customized or personalized memorabilia is created for many events, including high school or collegiate dances, fraternity and sorority events, athletic endeavors such as public marathons, and fund raising events. Such customized or personalized memorabilia may include t-shirts or other apparel, plates, glasses, mugs, towels, photo books, and/or many other items that are often emblazoned with a design and/or text that identifies the event and/or the organization or organizations that are participating in the event. Typically, the organizations participating in the events often order one or more pieces of customized or personalized memorabilia for each individual participating in the event. However, purchasing these customized or personalized memorabilia can add substantial costs to the event, and the organization organizing the event.
Additionally, corporations seek ways to reach specific market segments that represent the most likely purchasers of its services or products. Further, participants in social events or athletic events for which customized or personalized memorabilia is created often represents a specific demographic segment that is of interest to particular advertisers, particularly if the personalized memorabilia will be publicly used or worn after the original event, and if the participants represent a social or athletic segment of the population that is admired by the target demographic segment. Therefore, a method for providing advertisers with an ability to sponsor particular orders of customized or personalized memorabilia in return for placing advertising indicia upon the customized or personalized memorabilia would be appreciated by both sponsors and purchasers of customized or personalized memorabilia.